REVIEW
Perhaps more akin to a Chinese language television series is A Warrior's Tragedy which features an epic story that loses its footing on uneven humor and a meandering plot. Fortunately, gorgeous visuals and entertaining fantasy-action maintains interest.

There is no doubt that Frankie Chan is a man of many talents, but he may have bitten off more that he cared to this time around. This film has varied in length on just about every release, but they're all long by Hong Kong standards. Originally released in theaters as a nearly 3-hour affair, subsequent home video releases have either cut the film in half, releasing the second half as a sequel or trimmed down the entire film into one manageable release. For reference, this review is based upon Winson's 110 minute cut which may actually be an improvement.

Written by Frankie Chan, the story is about a gimpy-legged warrior named Fu (Ti Lung), a troubled and brooding swordsman who is trained by his mother to seek revenge for the death of his family at the hands of Ma Hung-Kwan, a local tyrannical warlord. In the local village he meets a free-spirited martial arts master named Yip Hoi (Frankie Chan) who joins Fu in an invitation to visit the home of Ma. Apparently, Fu isn't the only one trying to kill Ma and his skills and golden armor easily protect him from an attack. Knowing that he unable to succeed in an outright attack on Ma, Fu bides his time by playing the reluctant lover to a sympathetic prostitute and fighting a young, but noble swordsman who has been hired to kill Fu. Meanwhile, Yip Hoi gets into a series of misadventures that culminates in a battle with a legless Fung Hak On and a brilliant chariot chase with flying explosives. Ma makes a failed attempt to pit the two warriors against each other and they eventually join together to face Ma just as Fu discovers a startling truth about his past.

Sounds a bit like a soap opera, doesn't it? I've left out several subplots and various characters that fill out the story and the full version likely includes even more such drama and intrigue. The initial impression one gets from this piece is a sense of grand scale and high production values via a visual feast from the slick outdoor cinematography of Ng Wing-Kit to the Northern Chinese costumes and elaborate action scenes. An entire village is created and destroyed in a desert setting, followed by a very impressive chariot battle where drivers launch rockets at Frankie Chan as he races out in the open on horseback. The fights are noticeably undercranked, but Fung Hak On's skill as action director keeps the choreography imaginative and exciting. There is even the use of nifty pre-CGI special effects to create the illusion of a robe that renders its user invisible and a young swordsman's multiple arms attack against Ti Lung. Some of the sets are almost too spartan, but the sheer size and rich colors make up for it. Roel Garcia's score switches from richly thematic to primal and almost industrial in his use of rhythm.

Ti Lung's character warps his usual austere persona into a bleak, two-dimensional killer who is a pale imitation of his better swordsman roles from the Shaw Brothers era. This unlikable character isn't augmented well by Frankie Chan's senseless turn as a warrior who is unable to successfully insert various comical situations into the main story, despite many attempts.

Looking sharp with plenty of outrageous wirework and fantasy-inspired action, A Warrior's Tragedy will be appreciated by audiences who enjoy the likes of Blade of Fury (1993) or Fire Dragon (1994). Just don't expect to be enthralled by the story which runs wild for most of the running time...